Add Outlook 2007 Icon to the Desktop

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Jan 302008
 

Back in the old days of Office 2000 and XP microsoft used to automatically put the Outlook icon on the desktop, and you could right-click it to get to profile and account settings. A very handy feature. Now with Office 2003, 2007 they’ve given up doing that following their ‘clean desktop’ trend. I understand that, but sometimes I need users to be able to get to Outlook easily and to manage their profiles without having to go to control panel – if I even allow them to go there!

I had to search hard to find this one but I found it in the end. Here’s the key needed to add Outlook 2007 back to the desktop:

Open regedit and browse to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace
Then add a new key (not a new value) with the following name:
{00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}

Then refresh your desktop and your Outlook icon will appear (or disappear if you deleted the key).
Here’s the code if you want to put it in a .reg file:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]

I can confirm this works on Windows 7 Pro x86. It does not seem to work on Enterprise edition.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks, yours is the only in the top google results that says it’s for 2007, rock on…

  • Anonymous

    This works for outlook 2007. Thanks so much.

  • Anonymous

    Worked great on Vista for Outlook 207. Thank you!

  • Anonymous

    Nice one, cheers. Worked on Vista and 2007.

  • Anonymous

    Excellent work. Thank you very much. Worked fine with Windows Vista Enterprise SP1 and Outlook 2007 SP1.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/01511857140181595010 The Clog In My Blog
  • Anonymous

    thanks for Outlook icon is works in XP. :-)
    "Chuck Billow" for explorer try this:
    [HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerHideDesktopIconsNewStartPanel] "{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}"=dword:00000000

  • http://blog.port3101.org/hdawg/ hdawg

    This also works for Outlook 2010. Thank you again!

  • NiXC

    Thanks for the info on it working in 2010, I'll update the article! Cheers.

  • Anonymous

    Doesn't work on Windows 7!

  • Anonymous

    It does work on Windows 7 however if you delete it and try to do it again it does not work. You can save the reg key as a text file then rename it to Outlookdesktop.reg and it will enter it for you

  • Anonymous

    I already knew about this fix and have used it many times in Windows XP, however, it did not work for me on Windows 7 Enterprise.

  • Mark

    i tried this in win 7 home premium and only a folder appeared on my desktop..not an outlook icon. it wouldnt let me view properties on it either. what have i done wrong?

  • Anonymous

    Please check out my post on the technet site concerning this. I managed to get the icon on the desktop, and it successfully launches Outlook, but the "Properties" don't work. I am looking for more help to figure this out.
    http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/office2007deployment/thread/eca683e2-6b90-4f3a-b632-5ca70db51da4

  • Timothy D.

    I believe I have found the resolution for 64 bit Windows 7. Please go to the above link to my social.technet forum post for the registry file.

  • tom

    nice timothy, also works on sever 2003×64

  • Chuck Billow

    Guys, I maybe am brain dead, but I cannot get the Outlook 2010 icon on a Windows 7 Ultimate desktop. Am I reading this wrongly and it isn’t *supposed* to work in this case? If it is, then what the heck am I doing wrong?

    Here’s the exported entry after input:

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]

    Hopfully,
    Chuck

  • Chuck Billow

    It may help others to know:

    I just went [back] from IE 9 to IE 8, and the Outlook icon popped right up on my desktop.

    So whatever wasn’t working for me was obviously related somehow to IE 9…

    Chuck